"Pigeon Point Lighthouse", Pescadero, CA

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse, perched on a rocky promontory, is tallest and one of the most picturesque lighthouses on the West Coast of the United States. Located in Pescadero, California, it was built in 1871 to guide ships along the Pacific coast of California and has long been a landmark for ships approaching San Francisco Bay from the south.

The headland and lighthouse took its name from the clipper ship “Carrier Pigeon” that wrecked there in 1853 enroute from Boston to San Francisco.

The original Fresno Len, first illuminated in 1872, comprised of over 1,000 prisms, stood 16 ft. tall, 6 ft. in diameter and weighed 2,000 lbs. It was manufactured in France, constructed at the Lighthouse Services Depot in New York and shipped around the horn to California.

The lighthouse, now part of the Pigeon Point State Park, was designated a California Historical landmark in 1972. During the 1960’s hostels were added to the site which are still available for rent today.